Media Arts
Faculty and Staff

David Burke

Academic Areas of Interest

New Media Social Political Applications
Interdisciplinary Art, Graphic Design

Personal Areas of Interest

Biking, Tennis and Contemporary Art

Biography

I have a duo professional background in both fine arts and design. My focus was on mixed media installation and conceptual works. In the NYC art community I worked as an independent curator, artist, project and studio manager for a variety of arts organizations and artists: Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum, New Museum of Contemporary Art, and notable feminist artists such as Lynda Benglis.
In addition to my fine arts background my professional experience includes nearly a decade in the personal care/beauty product and package design industry. I oversaw the design development of fragrance concepts, skincare products, and fashion-inspired branding, illustrations and promotions, while working collaboratively with photographers, typographers, retouchers, model makers, illustrators, comp houses, jewelers and manufacturers.
Following my departure from the Estee Lauder Companies, I completed a Masters (2007) in Communication Design from Pratt Institute of Art. My experience working on ‘pink ribbon’ campaigns for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Lauder Companies provided a context from which I built a thesis project, Design Samaritans. In this project I researched, analyzed, and critiqued the growth of corporate cause marketing campaigns - such as pink ribbon, and surveyed the history of artists, designers, promoting social and communal agendas. My most recent scholarship interest has been on convergence culture, the links between communication tools (social networking and new media applications) and political change.